Tag Archives | drinking water

Disposing of old, expired and/or unneeded medications is tricky. You don’t want kids, teens or pets to get a hold of them (or drug abusers for that matter), so you might think the old recommendation to flush them down the toilet is good advice. But this practice solves one problem only to create another. With […]

While riding out Hurricane Irene in suburban New Jersey at my brother’s house this weekend, I got to see permeable pavement in action. The storm dumped over 7 inches of rain onto his town in about 12 hours. As I was out walking my dog in the worst of it, I saw water streaming off […]

Making pavement impervious to water only seems like a good idea. In fact, it creates a huge and serious problem. Whenever precipitation accumulates, the water travels across the pavement to street gutters, picking up contaminants along the way — from motor oil to dog poop. This noxious mix then flows into storm sewers, which empty […]

“This water is most likely safe. If you have any concerns about contamination due to hydraulic fracturing, expose water to flame.” Ah, the power of a well-placed joke. You can read countless articles about the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) to drinking water and health and never feel how much is at stake. But […]

I’m worried there’s going to be a mad dash to natural gas now that people have been reminded how dangerous nuclear power is by the nuclear disaster in Japan. I’m not a fan of nuclear power, but don’t want to see us jump from the frying pan into the fire either — particularly the “fire” […]

Were you scared by today’s report about radioactive contamination of Tokyo’s drinking water? Then how do you feel about radioactive gas drilling waste being discharged into rivers that feed drinking water supplies in the U.S.? It’s happening in Pennsylvania, in broad daylight, as reported in The New York Times. And no one has yet done […]

Nowadays, raising healthy children requires more than keeping them safe from germs. It also requires protecting them from toxic chemicals pervading their everyday environment, from phthalates, BPA, organophosphates and PBDE flame retardants to lead and mercury. For tips on how to reduce your children’s risk, read, print and share my latest This Green Life column […]

Local, seasonal, organic, unprocessed, etc. I’ve covered these food topics and more in my writing over the years. My new Green Eating page explains the principles and links to the pieces. Among the more interesting items are columns on sustainable wine, coffee and chocolate, as well as a couple on the importance of eating less […]

My family has used a Brita pitcher for years to filter our water and make it safer to drink and I have always insisted our kids use it, rather than drink directly from the tap. Recently, though, I began to wonder if the pitcher itself might contain a dangerous chemical — bisphenol A (BPA) — […]

ABOUT

A green living columnist for environmental organizations in her spare time, Sheryl Eisenberg wrote This Green Life for NRDC from 2004-2014 and previously wrote Greentips for the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her "real" life, she designs websites with her firm Mixit Creative for environmental groups and other non-profits and small businesses.